Content Area(s): Life Science Topic: Human Evolution Short description: A recent study of DNA indicates that one to four percent of our genetic material came from Neanderthal ancestors.
Claim: Neanderthals might have interbred with modern humans.
Keywords: Neanderthal, DNA, genetic material Difficulty of Concept: Hard
MS-ESS1 Earth’s Place in the Universe
MS-ESS1-4. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth’s 4.6-billion-year-old history.
MS-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
MS-LS4-1. Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past.
MS-LS4-2. Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.
MS-ETS1 Engineering Design
MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy
RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations descriptions.
RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts and reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational text to support analysis, reflection and research.
SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Neanderthals are an extinct type of humans known from specimens found in Europe and parts of central and western Asia. Neanderthals are classified either as a subspecies of Homo sapiens or as a separate human species. They first appeared in Europe about 600,000 - 350,000 years ago. The youngest remains discovered are about 30,000 years old. Other evidence suggests that they were still around 24,000 years ago. To date, Neanderthal fossils have not been found in Africa. Over 400 Neanderthal bones have been found since the first ones were uncovered in the 19th century.
The Neanderthals were similar to modern humans. Their brain size about the same, and perhaps even larger. They were much stronger than modern humans and were about 5 feet 5 inches tall. Neanderthals were largely meat eaters, had a language, made tools, and lived in complex social groups.
Neanderthals and modern humans lived alongside each other for thousands of years. Recently, scientists have been able to isolate DNA from 38,000-year-old Neanderthal bones. Over 60 percent of the entire Neanderthal genome has been pieced together. The DNA evidence suggests that interbreeding took place with modern humans about 75,000 years ago probably in the Middle East. Between 1% and 4% of the genome of people from Eurasia was likely contributed by Neanderthals.
Many anthropologists believe that the DNA comes from interbreeding rather than from shared ancestors of both humans and Neanderthals. One reason they believe that is because most modern humans of African descent don't have any Neanderthal DNA. Since Neanderthals never lived in Africa, humans in Africa never interbred with Neanderthals.
Title: We're All Neanderthals
Content Area(s): Life ScienceTopic: Human Evolution
Short description: A recent study of DNA indicates that one to four percent of our genetic material came from Neanderthal ancestors.
Claim: Neanderthals might have interbred with modern humans.
Keywords: Neanderthal, DNA, genetic material
Difficulty of Concept: Hard
Reading Level (Pit Stop 8 Article):
Flesch Reading Ease: 45Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 10.4
Lexile: 1030
Next Generation Science Standards:
MS-ESS1 Earth’s Place in the UniverseMS-ESS1-4. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth’s 4.6-billion-year-old history.
MS-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
MS-LS4-1. Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past.
MS-LS4-2. Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.
MS-ETS1 Engineering Design
MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/LiteracyRST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations descriptions.
RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts and reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational text to support analysis, reflection and research.
SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Vocabulary Words: extinct, genome, anthropologist
Topic of Game Introduction Video: Logic
Link to Game Introduction Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syUbXdJ5T-Q
Full Text of Article:
Neanderthals are an extinct type of humans known from specimens found in Europe and parts of central and western Asia. Neanderthals are classified either as a subspecies of Homo sapiens or as a separate human species. They first appeared in Europe about 600,000 - 350,000 years ago. The youngest remains discovered are about 30,000 years old. Other evidence suggests that they were still around 24,000 years ago. To date, Neanderthal fossils have not been found in Africa. Over 400 Neanderthal bones have been found since the first ones were uncovered in the 19th century.The Neanderthals were similar to modern humans. Their brain size about the same, and perhaps even larger. They were much stronger than modern humans and were about 5 feet 5 inches tall. Neanderthals were largely meat eaters, had a language, made tools, and lived in complex social groups.
Neanderthals and modern humans lived alongside each other for thousands of years. Recently, scientists have been able to isolate DNA from 38,000-year-old Neanderthal bones. Over 60 percent of the entire Neanderthal genome has been pieced together. The DNA evidence suggests that interbreeding took place with modern humans about 75,000 years ago probably in the Middle East. Between 1% and 4% of the genome of people from Eurasia was likely contributed by Neanderthals.
Many anthropologists believe that the DNA comes from interbreeding rather than from shared ancestors of both humans and Neanderthals. One reason they believe that is because most modern humans of African descent don't have any Neanderthal DNA. Since Neanderthals never lived in Africa, humans in Africa never interbred with Neanderthals.
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Additional Content:
Author: Cindy Wilbur